Chapter 4: The Sea of Spirit

"Do you have a very cost-saving idea that you want to sell to me?"

Old Sam pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, his face freshly shaved, his bluish-gray skin wrinkled, and he looked at Duke with a half-smile.

Duke struck the perfect balance between nervousness and pride, "Yes, boss."

Old Sam was the owner of Little Sam's card repair shop. He opened this shop when he was still called Little Sam. After decades of operation, he had become Old Sam.

"Tell me, what's the idea?"

"It's a way to save you a lot of Silver Dragon boxes," Duke introduced in the tone of his predecessor, "I've calculated that a coating box that costs 1 Silver Dragon, can seal twenty spiritual cards. The shop uses two or three coating boxes each day. Over the course of a month, this could accumulate to several tens of Silver Dragons or even 1 Gold Dragon. But my idea, at the very least, could save you half of the Silver Dragons."

"Haha, saving so many Silver Dragons? What exactly is your idea?" Old Sam chuckled. He didn't think a fifteen-year-old apprentice could have any good ideas.

Duke laughed along, "This idea requires payment, boss."

Old Sam was a good boss. After decades of operating Little Sam's card repair shop, he had a good reputation both in business and as a person. That's why Duke chose to sell his idea to him.

"How much do you think is a suitable price?" Old Sam asked casually.

"How about five Gold Dragons?" Duke named a price.

"Five Gold Dragons!" Old Sam widened his eyes.

"It's not expensive. With my idea, you can save fifty Silver Dragons in a month, and in a year, you'll have earned back the knowledge fee of five Gold Dragons," Duke analyzed seriously. "Moreover, you can also sell it to other card repair shops or even register a patent at the Knowledge Tower. This could bring you even more wealth!"

"Listen, young Duke, I'm very busy..."

"Are you sure you don't want to hear my idea before making a decision? Just listen, and there's no loss. Whether you're willing to pay five Gold Dragons or not, the choice is still in your hands."

Seeing that Duke made some sense, Old Sam couldn't help but stop in his tracks, "Alright, tell me."

"First, you need to promise that after hearing my idea and recognizing its value, you'll pay five Gold Dragons."

"Hmm, if it's worth that much."

"Of course!"

Duke said confidently.

Old Sam nodded with a slightly serious expression, "Then, with my reputation as Old Sam, I promise if your idea is really good, I'll give you five Gold Dragons to buy it."

"This idea is a kind of technology. I call it the 'Continuous Coating Supply Technique'..." Duke spoke eloquently.

At first, Old Sam was skeptical, but as Duke explained the technical principles, Old Sam's eyes quickly lit up. He mentally outlined the process and was sure that this technology was feasible.

And the technical difficulty was almost negligible.

All that was needed was to connect a disposable box with a small pipe on one end, linked to a larger reservoir of the coating material on the other end. This would provide a continuous supply of the coating material without exposing it to air.

There was no need to constantly replace the coating material box in the sealing machine.

"Genius idea!" Old Sam exclaimed from the heart. Then, he cautiously looked around and pulled Duke into the warehouse to continue the conversation, "This idea is fantastic, young Duke. I haven't thought about its potential yet. But undoubtedly, it's worth five Gold Dragons... No, I'll give you ten Gold Dragons!"

Ten Gold Dragons?

Exceeding Duke's expectations.

He deliberately appeared excited. After all, he was just a fifteen-year-old kid, "Thank you, thank you, boss!"

"This is what you deserve. Besides, young Duke, if you're willing, I'm thinking of promoting you to a regular worker. You can learn the skills from me." Old Sam suddenly reached out and patted Duke's head, saying with emotion, "I know you're eager to earn money and want to open the Three Seas, but talent is elusive."

Duke looked puzzled.

Old Sam continued, "Even if you can't open the Three Seas, I believe you're an extraordinary child. Perhaps you can take the path of a Scholar using your wisdom, even as an ordinary person."

"Thank you for your encouragement, but I still want to try opening the Sea of Spirit first," Duke smiled.

"Then go ahead and give it a try."

"Uh... you haven't given me the ten Gold Dragons yet."

...

Old Sam was an honest and trustworthy boss. Ten Gold Dragons weren't a small amount, but he quickly gathered them and handed them to Duke, officially buying the Continuous Supply Envelope Technique.

He even drafted a contract, two copies.

Duke signed his name on them and pressed his fingerprint.

"Seeing how eager you are, take three days off. After you come back, I'll arrange the benefits of a regular worker for you." Old Sam put away the contract, his smile radiant.

This idea could undoubtedly make him a lot of money.

"I'll be back soon."

Duke walked out of Little Sam's card repair shop with ten Gold Dragons in his pocket.

Looking back at the sign of the shop, he also had many emotions. Just as Old Sam said, even if he couldn't open the Three Seas, he might still be able to become a Scholar.

The Continuous Coating Supply Technique was the best proof of that.

"However, compared to being a Scholar, I still want to become an Arcane Mage!" Retrieving his thoughts, Duke walked down the street without looking back, heading straight for the potion shop in the town.

He successfully acquired the Spirit Awakening Potion for 23 Silver Dragons.

Returning to the rental house he lived in, he closed the doors and windows, and then sat cross-legged on the bed. He took a few deep breaths to calm down his excitement before beginning.

A sharp determination flashed in his eyes.

He tilted his head back and drank the contents of the glass vial containing the potion, then rinsed it with water he had prepared to make sure not a drop of residue remained.

While waiting for the potion to take effect.

He opened a well-worn book on his bedside table, <<Unlocking Spiritual Magic>>. It was a popular science book mainly explaining the spiritual magic system.

It documented the ways to unlock the Sea of Qi, the Sea of Blood, and the Sea of Spirit.

Opening the Sea of Spirit had the lowest probability, and there were two methods mentioned in the book.

One was the method for geniuses, achieved through daily meditation, emptying the mind, and following the guidance of the spirit, which could lead to the spontaneous opening of the Sea of Spirit. This was usually easiest between the ages of ten and fifteen.

Beyond fifteen years old, the second method was required: forcefully increasing the compatibility with spirituality using a Spirit Awakening Potion, and then, through meditation, finding and breaking into the Sea of Spirit.

This method's success rate wasn't high.

In fact, whether it was the Sea of Qi, the Sea of Blood, or the Sea of Spirit, they all required the use of potions to unlock them, and the success rate was very low.

 The achievements obtained through this method were far inferior to self-unlocking.

"I have the Cheat Code; I can definitely unlock the Sea of Spirit!"

Duke held onto the unwavering belief that he would succeed. He felt a cool sensation rising in his abdomen and then resolutely put down the book in his hand, adjusting his posture to begin meditation.

Empty the mind, tame the soul.

Then, accept the guidance of spirituality.

This was why people referred to supernatural powers as spirituality; this mystical force had an unparalleled spiritual quality. Just like a small animal, a flower, or a river, it could guide all things' growth and could be tamed and nurtured by all things.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

The cool sensation from the Spirit Awakening Potion made it easier for Duke to clear his mind of distractions, and he was able to focus solely on emptying himself.

As all distractions were cleared, he was no longer aware of his own thoughts. Time seemed to fade away, and all concepts of up, down, left, and right disappeared.

And at this very moment.

A point of light blossomed within the void, followed by a multitude of stars, as if he had fallen into an ocean made of starlight.

Boom!

His consciousness returned to his body, and Duke "saw" his Sea of Spirit.